Bananas and Food Security - Bioversity International

202 Les productions bananières / Bananas and food security – Session 1
popular throughout the country and outside. Much variation is seen in the extent and
pattern of pseudostem coloration. Palayankodan/Mysore (AAB), one of the leading south
Indian cultivars is well accepted in many respects such as better yield potential,
adaptability for rainfed cultivation in open and shaded conditions with ratooning. It is
resistant to wilt and tolerant to leaf spots and fruit rot. A mutant called Mottapoovan,
characterised by fruits with shorter length and blunt tip is noted. Poovan (AAB), also
known as Rasthali is another popular choice cultivar fetching better market price and
suited for rainfed cultivation. Perumpadali/Ayiramkai is a natural uncommon mutant of
Poovan with long bunch and without male phase. In number of hands, fingers and bunch
weight, the mutant is far better than the parent and with the same quality. The author
could harvest bunch up to 28 kg from the mutant while the original clone yields 8-14 kg
bunch. Suganthi (AAB) is intermediate between Palayankodan and Rasthali in many
characters. Moongil (AAB) is rare variety of Nendran type and supposed to be native of
Travancore hills, lacking male bud. The Hill banana (AAB), comprising Virupakshi and
its ecotype Sirumali, is a delicious flavoured speciality of Tamil Nadu, adapted for
perennial ratooning.
Kunnan (AB) is a common dual purpose cultivar with a few mutants/ecotypes like
Valiakunnan, Cheriakunnan, Vennetukunnan, Adakkakunnan and Poochakunnan
(Figure 2). It is very hardy, medium tall, drought and shade tolerant with a high level of
suckering. Ratooning ability, capacity to withstand leaf cutting for domestic purposes, field
Figure 1. Nendran (AAB), a popular dual
purpose cultivar.
Figure 2. Valia kunnan is a common cultivar,
mutant of Kunnan (AB).